William Randolph Hearst - FishbowlLA

Hearst Documentary Highlights Life, Legacy of California’s Greatest Media Baron

Richard Horgan — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 06:45:15 +0000

This weekend, the “H” in William H. Macy will stand for not just “Hall” but also “Hearst.” That’s because the Oscar-nominated actor does a very capable job as narrator of the feature documentary Citizen Hearst, opening Thursday at Laemmle movie theaters in Beverly Hills (Music Hall), Pasadena (Playhouse 7), Encino (Town Center) and Claremont (Claremont 5).

After highlighting the life exploits of William Randolph Hearst, the movie really hits its stride once it gets to the post-World War II era and success of magazines like Good Housekeeping, Harper’s Bazaar and Cosmopolitan. It’s fun to hear interview subjects recall how Helen Gurley Brown‘s stewardship hit town “like a thunder clap.” Here for example is a recollection in the film from Kate White, Cosmo editor-in-chief from 1998 to 2012:

“Helen’s first cover is still an inspiration to me, it’s so sexy. The woman, a blonde, buxom. The little hint of Brigitte Bardot… One of my favorite all-time [first cover] lines is, ‘THE NEW PILL THAT PROMISES TO MAKE WOMEN MORE RESPONSIVE.’”

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Hearst Documentary Screens in San Francisco

Richard Horgan — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 12:30:18 +0000

Following a splashy private screening at Hearst headquarters in New York City and a public world premiere earlier this month at the Hamptons International Film Festival, feature documentary Citizen Hearst has come home to roost. Commissioned by Hearst and narrated by actor William H. Macy, the film will debut in San Francisco tonight at a Legion of Honor event sponsored by the Chronicle.

The movie was co-produced and directed by Leslie Iwerks, who previously took a look at another west coast media giant in The Pixar Story. The parade of on-screen interviews includes Oprah Winfrey, Dan Rather, Mark Burnett, Walt Disney Company chairman Bob Iger and a number of William Randolph Hearst descendants.

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Actor Taylor Negron Celebrates the Life, Legacy of an LA Murder Victim

Richard Horgan — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 10:50:33 +0000

A piece posted Friday afternoon on xojane.com by actor Taylor Negron about the horrific murder of 81-year-old LA resident Catherine Davis is getting a lot of attention this weekend. Deservedly so.

Negron fills in the many blanks contained in the rash of sensational media coverage more concerned about leveraging the SEO potential of a Katy Perry ex-boyfriend reference than discovering the true identity of Sons of Anarchy actor Johnny Lewis’ alleged victim. During his early years as an actor in LA, Negron rented every room in Davis’ “writer’s villa” abode in Los Feliz. It was a place that welcomed numerous other performers such as Val Kilmer, Parker Posey and Thomas Jane.

Negron notes that Davis and her daughter were both writers. Margaret penned “biographies of prominent Los Angeles figures and families,” with Negron and co. attending related book launch events. Mom meanwhile was working on an equally ambitious portrait:

Cathy, always the writer and reader, began writing her own historical biography on the life of Phoebe Apperson Hearst, mother of William Randolph Hearst. She was working on the book in her room when she was murdered.

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Citizen Kane Finally Cracks the Hearst Castle

Richard Horgan — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:00:54 +0000

When San Luis Obispo International Film Festival director Wendy Eidson originally floated the idea of a first-ever screening of Citizen Kane at the Hearst Castle, she was actually joking. But as she told LA Times reporter Steve Chawkins, after she made the historic suggestion to the keepers of the state park, the reaction was anything but what she expected:

“They didn’t laugh,” Eidson said. “I was sort of floored.”

Steve Hearst, the mogul’s great-grandson, said the event will present the film as a work of fiction rather than as a documentary about the life of the patriarch known to family members as W.R.

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Hearst Publishing Heir to Play Lindsay Lohan in Upcoming Movie

Pandora Young — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 08:18:45 +0000

You’d think any film based on the life of Lindsay Lohan would be a tragedy, but screenwriter Charles Casillo says he has written a screwball comedy. The actress he’s found to play the troubled starlet has a history of family drama that outshines even LiLo’s. 26-year-old model Lydia Hearst-Shaw is the daughter of Patti Hearst, best known for being kidnapped and brainwashed by political extremists in the 1970′s. Her great-grandfather is the publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst.

Casillo is not a well-known screenwriter, but by associating his project with two famous names, he is generating plenty of press. And he doesn’t think Lilo should mind. Casillo tells Page Six that the film:

is in no way mean-spirited towards Lindsay. It’s the kind of thing she has spoofed about herself in the past. It’s more of a satire about the crazy people around her and the situations they generate. It satirizes the obsession with modern celebrity.

We feel a Lilo lawsuit coming on…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.